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Bahrain has had twoconstitutions in its modern history. The first one was promulgated in 1973, and the second in 2002.
The constitution of 1973 was written shortly after Bahrain's independence fromBritain in 1971. In 1972, the then ruler ShaikhIsa bin Salman Al Khalifa issued adecree providing for the election of a Constituent Assembly to draft and ratify a constitution. The electorate of the constituent assembly was native-born male citizens aged twenty years or older. The Constituent Assembly consisted of twenty-two elected delegates, plus the twelve members of the Council of Ministers and eight members directly appointed by Shaikh Isa.[1]
The draft constitution provided for aunicameral legislature (theNational Assembly) consisting of 44 members, 30 elected by "universal suffrage" (though franchise was restricted to males), plus 14 royally-appointed government ministers who wereex officio members. The constitution was enacted by decree in December 1973.[1]
The1973 Bahraini general election was the only election held under the 1973 Constitution, before it was abrogated by Shaikh Isa in 1975. The country was governed under emergency laws from 1975 to 2002.[1]
After the death of the Emir Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa in 1999, his throne was taken over by his son ShaikhHamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. Seeking to bring an end to the1990s uprising in Bahrain, he announced a new set of democratic reforms, including a promise to return to constitutional rule.
In 2001 Emir Hamad put forward theNational Action Charter which would return the country to constitutional rule. However the opposition was opposed to the Charter's call for an amendment to the 1973 Constitution, changing the legislature fromunicameral tobicameral. The Charter stated that "the legislature will consist of two chambers, namely one that is constituted through free, direct elections whose mandate will be to enact laws, and a second one that would have people with experience and expertise who would give advice as necessary." The opposition groups argued that this statement was too ambiguous, and remained opposed to the Charter. Also as part of the new Constitution the country was raised in status from an Emirate to a Kingdom.
Emir Hamad responded by holding a highly publicised meeting with the spiritual leaders of the Shia Islamist opposition. He signed a document clarifying that only the elected lower house of the parliament would have legislative power, while the appointed upper house would have a strictly advisory role. Upon this assurance, the main opposition groups accepted the Charter and called for a 'Yes' vote in the national referendum. The Charter was accepted in the 2001 referendum with 98.4% voting 'Yes' for it.
However, in 2002 Emir (now King) Hamad promulgated the 2002 Constitution, without any public consultation, in which both the elected and the royally-appointed chambers of parliament were given equal legislative powers, going back on his public promise of 2001. As a result, theparliamentary elections due to be held later that year were boycotted by four political societies;Al Wefaq, a Shia Islamist group, thought to be the most popular political society in the country,National Democratic Action, the largest Leftist political society,Islamic Action Society, a marginal Shia Islamist society, and theNationalist Democratic Rally Society, a marginal Arab Nationalist society.
According toArticle 32 (b) of the2002 Constitution, "executive authority is vested in theKing together with the Council of Ministers and Ministers". The Council of Ministers (Cabinet) is appointed directly by the King (Article 33d).
Bahrain has had only onePrime Minister since the country's independence in 1971,Khalifah ibn Sulman al-Khalifah, the uncle of the reigning KingHamad ibn Isa al-Khalifah. As of 2010, roughly half of the cabinet ministers have been selected from theAl Khalifa royal family,[2] including the Minister of Defence, Minister of Interior, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Finance, and Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs.
| Office | Name | Party | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| King | Hamad ibn Isa al-Khalifah | March 6, 1999 | |
| Prime Minister | Khalifah ibn Sulman al-Khalifah | 1971 |
According toArticle 32 (b) of the2002 Constitution, "legislative authority is vested in theKing and theNational Assembly.
The National Assembly isbicameral with the lower house, theChamber of Deputies, having 40 members elected in single-seat constituencies by universal suffrage for a four-year term. The upper house, theShura Council, has 40 members appointed by theKing of Bahrain. Among the members of the current Shura Council are representatives of Bahrain'sJewish andChristian communities as well as several women legislators.
The speaker of the National Assembly is from the appointed Shura Council.
All legislation must be passed by a majority in both the Chamber of Deputies and the Shura Council, and must be ratified by the King.
Political parties are illegal in Bahrain, de facto political parties operate and are known as 'political societies'
The Judiciary of Bahrain is divided into two branches: the Civil Law Courts and the Shari'a Law Courts. The Civil Law Courts deal with all commercial, civil, and criminal cases, as well disputes related to thepersonal status of non-Muslims. The Shari’a Law Courts have jurisdiction over all issues related to the personal status of Muslims.[3]
Judges of the middle and lower courts are nominated by the Ministry of Justice and appointed by decree by theprime minister. The Supreme Judicial Council, chaired by theKing, appoints the members of the Constitutional Court.[3]
Many of the high-ranking judges in Bahrain are either members of theruling family or non-Bahrainis (mainly Egyptians) with 2-year renewable contracts. To secure renewal of these contracts, judges may be prone to consider it necessary to take decisions not unfavourable to the wishes or interests of the Government.[4]
Bahrain is divided into four governorates for administrative purposes:
Each governorate has an appointed governor and an electedmunicipal council.
